Page 121 of Killing Mind

Instead of heading straight for the hill she turned right into the wooded area.

Immediately the daylight receded as the trees entwined and arched above her blocking out the sun. The shrubbery on either side of the narrow walking path was dense. She moved forward slowly; the whole scene reminding her of some sinister turn in a fairy tale. If she was watching this on the TV screen at home creepy, ominous music would be growing in volume and warning her to stay out.

She smiled at her own dramatics but the unease didn’t ebb away.

She took two more steps forward, heading into the darkness. A stinger caught her bare ankle. She bent down and rubbed it knowing it was the worst thing she could do.

She straightened and caught a glimpse of some kind of structure up ahead.

She took a few more steps forward. The silence of the woods made way for the heavy beating of her heart, the blood pounding in her ears.

Two more steps forward.

The crack of a twig behind her.

She turned, right into the chest of Jake Black who was only inches away.

Her heart rose up into her throat.

‘Hey Tiff,’ he said, peering down at her with a questioning gaze. ‘What are you doing alone out here?’

She tried to gather herself quickly and cover up the trembling of her limbs.

Her heart thumped in her chest.

‘J… just getting a little air,’ she replied.

He placed a warm, firm hand on her shoulder and turned her around.

‘I think it’s best if we go back to the house, don’t you?’

Ninety-Eight

‘Where do you want me?’ Penn asked, sliding into his chair.

Stacey breathed a sigh of relief to have her colleague back. She had multiple screens open on her computer and was flitting between them all.

‘Can you find out whatever you can about Jake Black, cos I might have a possible contender for our guy in the lake.’

‘On it, boss,’ he said.

Stacey chuckled. He was higher in rank than her but ranks meant nothing to Penn. He went where the work sent him. Sometimes that was pounding the streets and other times pounding the keys.

She turned her attention back to Derek Noble, the man who had flitted on to her screen right before Penn had called.

Of his thirty-eight years he’d been known to them for fifteen. From the age of seventeen he’d been arrested over twenty times for offences that had escalated over the years. The last seven offences had been drug related, culminating in a violent episode where a man had been blinded. Derek Noble had been put away for his longest stretch of six years in 2012 and had maintained radio silence ever since. The records stated that he’d been released from prison late 2018. Had he been murdered as soon as he walked out of prison? Was it somehow related to his previous crimes; revenge perhaps, and nothing to do with their murders? His life had been anything but normal and he must have made a few enemies along the way.

If this guy wasn’t connected to their case, they needed to rule him out straight away. For all she knew this wasn’t even the guy they were searching for. She could be wasting time passing this on to the boss. She made up her mind. She’d pass the information on and keep looking.

Ninety-Nine

‘Anything back, yet?’ Bryant asked, as he headed towards Hayes Lane, and the address given to them by Stacey. The constable hadn’t sounded convinced this was their man and Kim could understand why. There was no indication of him having any link to their other victims or to Unity Farm. But they were close to the trading estate, so it was worth a shot, even if it was to rule him out.

‘Nothing since the first message,’ she said, glancing down at the phone that hadn’t been out of her hand since they’d left Kane sitting in the café.

She had texted Tiff immediately after seeing her name on that piece of paper. Just a short message asking if she was okay. Her heart had been hammering in her chest waiting for a response. It was only minutes until she received a reply saying

Fine, speak soon.